I know this concept will bring about so much joy, so much gratitude, and so much perspective; I just couldn’t keep it to myself. Before we get into full bible study mode, I wanted to share with you how I stumbled upon this revelation to be able to write to you today.
This year, I made it a point to work on discipline this year when it comes to fasting, reading the Word, prayer, and giving. Even though, I am still getting to a place of consistency for some of them, God is doing a new thing.
My biggest challenge right now is my goal to read a chapter of the bible a day. My desire is to study the Word more, allow time for understanding/revelation ,and be able to talk about what I read. Shoutout to my bible app buddy and sister-in-christ at my home church, Deidre, who has kept me accountable over the first 21 days of the new year.
God told me Made New Mama will point to Him more than ever in it’s efforts to bring about a change in the lives of single moms that read this blog. Ultimately, I trust Him and obedient to whatever He ask of me to do for the blog that glorifies Him.
Therefore, I pray what is shared in today’s bible study post will bless you, glorify Him, and bring you closer to who God made you to be.
What Does It Mean To Build An Altar?
To build an altar is to give a raised structure or place on which sacrifices are offered or incense is burned in worship. Often defined as figuratively to describe a thing given great or undue precedence or value especially at the cost of something else, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Basically when you build an altar, you are exalting something or giving it honor as a way to let it know or who it was made for where they stand in your life. However, altars have gotten a religious rep or ill rep due to spiritual perversions as it relates to what and who an altar is truly for.
History With Altars
Altars are primarily a religious structure or action that focuses on sacrifice, prayer, and worship. However, if you have lived long enough, you know many other ways of living have adopted the concept of altars as well.
- You may see someone build an altar of posters and memorablia for their favorite superstar or band.
- You may see men create a room with all the things for their favorite football team whether they win or lose (faithful followers).
- You may see altars used in movies and peoples homes perform and house witchcraft of any sort, including voo doo, false gods like Baal, etc.
- Sometimes we make our own flaws and strongholds altars in our life, unintentional celebration and worship of unhealthy patterns, thoughts, and behaviors.
Altars, however, were created and solely meant for God originally, allowing us to grow in intimacy with Him and move on His peoples behalf bringing joy and pleasing to Him who loves us more than we could ever know.
Ask yourself this question: What things have you made an altar in your life? In what ways have your view of altars been challenged?
Build Altars And The Bible
Building altars have been throughout the bible since the beginning of time. You can see in so many stories that building altars was a significant part of a person’s relationship with God. As single moms, we build altars of overwhelm in our lives and stress, but in the bible, altars provide opportunities for closeness more than ever in our relationship with God.
There was multiple characters in the bible who built altars. Here are a few you may recognize:
- Joshua in Joshua 8
- Saul in 1 Samuel 14
- Moses in Exodus 17
- Isaac in Genesis 26
- Gideon in Judges 6
- Noah in Genesis 8
- Elijah 1 Kings 18
From generation to generation in the old testament, the idea of altars with calling upon the Lord was normal practice especially when God was blessing them or in the process of releasing a promise in their lives.
Every man listed went on to do great things as they kept God first in these phases of their life. Altars served as a way of communion, getting right with God. Now, our altars are mental rather than in the physical and they serve as a paused moment to thank God, remembering what He has done for us at a moment in time. We must create an altar where ever we are!
”And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones; you shall not lift up any iron tool upon them.“
Deuteronomy 27:5 AMPC”So we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering nor for sacrifice, But to be a witness between us and you and between the generations after us, that we will perform the service of the Lord before Him …“
Joshua 22:26-27 AMPC
Abram and The Altars In Scripture
Read the two chapters below learning about a part of Abram’s journey and how altars played a part. I’ve highlighted key points for you. I would encourage you to do a deeper study on Genesis 12-13 to get further revelation for your own life.
Genesis 12-13
”The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh.
At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him. After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east.
There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord. Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev. At that time a severe famine struck the land of Canaan, forcing Abram to go down to Egypt, where he lived as a foreigner. As he was approaching the border of Egypt, Abram said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, you are a very beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife. Let’s kill him; then we can have her!’ So please tell them you are my sister. Then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you.” And sure enough, when Abram arrived in Egypt, everyone noticed Sarai’s beauty.
When the palace officials saw her, they sang her praises to Pharaoh, their king, and Sarai was taken into his palace. Then Pharaoh gave Abram many gifts because of her—sheep, goats, cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels. But the Lord sent terrible plagues upon Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. So Pharaoh summoned Abram and accused him sharply. “What have you done to me?” he demanded. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ and allow me to take her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and get out of here!” Pharaoh ordered some of his men to escort them, and he sent Abram out of the country, along with his wife and all his possessions.“
Genesis 12:1-20 NLT”So Abram left Egypt and traveled north into the Negev, along with his wife and Lot and all that they owned. (Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.) From the Negev, they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, and they pitched their tents between Bethel and Ai, where they had camped before. This was the same place where Abram had built the altar, and there he worshiped the Lord again.
Lot, who was traveling with Abram, had also become very wealthy with flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and many tents. But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds living so close together. So disputes broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. (At that time Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land.) Finally Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives! The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left.”
Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) Lot chose for himself the whole Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants and parted company with his uncle Abram. So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain. But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord.
After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.” So Abram moved his camp to Hebron and settled near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. There he built another altar to the Lord.“
Genesis 13:1-18 NLT
How Can Altars Change My Life As A Single Mom?
There are a number of lessons we can learn from Abrams story about building altars as single moms. Even after, I break it down, you may have continued questions, but that’s good to have.
Altars help you keep God first.
Keeping God first has always been a command for us as His chosen people. First, we must love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. First, we should seek the kingdom of God.
Altars serve as visual representation of keeping God first in everything you do and acknowledging His hand in your life. Everything good comes from Him and it’s only right that we worship Him in everything.
Altars give you perspective.
Altars remind you that everything isn’t always about you. The things that happen in your life is not solely about you but is about the greater mission and purpose to add to the kingdom of God.
This form of worship shifts your perspective of your life, challenges, and triumphs being for you and all about you but for God’s greater plan.
We can step outside of ourselves and be a blessing to others by sharing our testimonies of what God has done for us in our lives as single moms as a prophecy to another single mom walking a similar path.
Altars are a physical demonstration of gratitude.
One thing I’ve learned that my pastor shared was that anxiety and gratitude can’t dwell together in the mind. Stopping to be thankful for the very thing God has done in your life, you eliminate space for anxiety and worry about your life/future to live.
Gratitude is not only for worship and support to God but for soul care within yourself. Gratitude allows for you to be present in what God is doing and really tend to what matters most in the now. Check out this post where I talk about Living in Daily Gratitude for single moms.
Altars help us remember our God moments in life.
When was the last time you had a God moment? Honestly, you should be having God moments everyday because he is always with you and will never forsake you.
One way we can worship God and demonstrate an altar for the God moments in our life is through writing. For me, this blog, Made New Mama, has been the ultimate altar of God moments and how He has transformed my life since becoming a single mom.
Yours may be through a journal or diary, video v-logs sharing your experiences, writing books, and etc. Our altars are not suppose to be hidden, but shared so others may come to know Jesus.
Altars can be a tool to keep the enemy at bay.
I felt like even though Abram was having challenges with his family member, Lot. The altars he built in between every transition kept him focused and in-tuned to what God was doing in His life.
Abram did not allow the tension, abrupt change of dwelling location, and the reality of the unknown to ever cause him to halt or delay obedience to what God was telling him to go and do.
We can trust that when we pause and thank God through the process, through the journey, we can get to our appointed destinations with our love, faith, and hope intact.
All in all,
Altars are God’s gift to us, not vice versa. Even though God is pleased when we praise, worship and show gratitude, we need it more than He does.
Altars were a vital part to Abrams relationship with God and his journey; they can be the same for you too, single mom. I pray you were blessed and will be intentional regarding going deeper with God and taking up your cross daily.
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